The Problem with Saying #AllLivesMatter

6. Don’t critique. Listen.

A popular critique of the #BlackLivesMatter movement is the notion that the Black Lives Matter movement is divisive. As it was put to one Unitarian minister, “How will this nation of ours ever join together if we are constantly looking at everyone by their race?” Of course, the minister responded with several thoughtful paragraphs, but he concluded by saying, “I very much appreciate you writing to me, and am glad that we share the goal of coming to a day when people will not be judged, consciously or unconsciously, on the basis of their race … That work begins by listening to one another, and listening especially to the voices of those who have the least power in society. If nothing else is clear from the past few weeks, it is painfully evident that a great many people do not believe that they are treated fairly. Healing begins by listening to those voices and stories.”